I am 29 years old and weight 149.80 lbs. I weighed 190 almost two years ago. I have been struggling trying to lose the last 25 lbs to reach my goal. My biggest problem is that I lose almost all of the weight from my upper body but none of the fat has budged from my under arm (jiggly arms), inner thighs, knees or calves. I’m at a lose as what to do now.
Im 14 years old, only 5 foot, and put on 7 pound, yet i still stayed the same height. Therefore, i got fatter, cause i didnt grow at all. I read most. Of your helpful advice/tips, and i got it & i think it’ll be a tad bit difficult, but i culd be committed if i really set my mind to it. I just need your help/motivation. I need you to REALLY help me. Give me like a daily routine. Sorry if thats too much to ask. ;p but yeah, PLEASE TEXT ME ASAP
Starting a weight-loss journey can be tough, especially if you're giving up a lot of things you love. Shannon Hagen’s secret to staying positive while losing weight? “I never think of it as giving things up, that makes me feel deprived,” she says. “Instead I focus on adding in one small healthy change at a time, until it becomes a habit.” For instance, instead of being bummed over not having your usual bowl of ice cream before bed, try a new healthy dessert recipe to add to your file.
Want to instantly burn more blubber in your workout? Research conducted at Brunel University found listening to your favourite tracks will increase your endurance by a massive 15 per cent. And if you really want to turn your weight loss up to 11, Social Psychological and Personality Science found that heavy bass increases your sense of personal power to help you get the most out of the gym.

The slim-fast diet is something like an ‘out of the box’ weight loss solution in the sense that it comes with ready made products (snack bars, shakes, meal bars) that can be used to replace 2 of your main meals (breakfast-lunch) and snacks. This gives you the opportunity to consume up to 500 calories in a meal of your choice for dinner. It is based on a 1200 calorie diet and is best suited for people who need to lose more than 20 pounds.

About: Kristen is a country girl living in Oklahoma who recently started blogging about figuring out the whole “healthy living” thing with her husband and two dogs. Kristen loves life and is full of positivity, which is exactly why she started blogging about making healthier choices — so that she can continue to live life to the fullest. Her blog features posts of encouragement and practical tips, as well as her own personal ups and downs with making choices that create the total wellness package.
Nuts. It’s very easy to eat until the nuts are gone, regardless of how full you are. A tip: According to science, salted nuts are harder to stop eating than unsalted nuts. Salted nuts tempt you to more overeating. Good to know. Another tip: Avoid bringing the entire bag to the couch, preferably choose a small bowl instead. I often eat all the nuts in front of me, whether I’m hungry or not.
Hi Ashley, I have lost weight using a very similar diet to the low carb one mentioned here. However, my diet was even more strict i.e. I was not allowed to eat some veggies such as carrot, beetroot, more than a tomato a day etc and never had any legumes/beans because they were too high in carbohydrates for this diet. I am relatively small already but found the only way to loose any of the extra weight was to be extremely low carb. I have heard some researchers say it is because of the pill that this happens i.e. the pill will stop you loosing weight unless you go extremely low carb so maybe try sticking to only very low carb veggies.
There don't appear to be lot of safety concerns with green tea or caffeine as long as they're used in moderation, but they can cause some side effects, such as nervousness and irregular heartbeat, with an intake of more than 400 milligrams per day of caffeine. Stick to brewed green tea, because the green tea extract can cause abdominal discomfort and potential liver damage.
Rise and shine—literally! Researchers from Northwestern University found that people who were exposed to bright daylight earlier in the day tended to weigh less than those who didn’t get sunlight until later. So right after you wake up, open the blinds and let the sunshine in. Or better yet, step outside and enjoy your morning cup of coffee on the front porch
I have one concern about eating eggs everyday and the cholesterol. I have high blood pressure, what would you recommend?? I come from a family of obese, and myself i am very overweight. Not as active as i should be. I also have a family of bad hearts on both sides. My mother had a heart attack at age 44, my dad passed away from heart attack at age 55, my younger sister had a heart attack at age 34. So far i only have high blood pressure, we also have diabetes in our family. Please help me loose this weight, any suggestions???
Hi Adam. Your story is amazing & Ive been searching for a way to lose weight & look slim. I’m not obese or anything but I am overweight for my height. I’m 5’2″ & I way 137. I really want to be 125 or 120. Hopefully by the summer. But I’m also 16 & built. I’m active in sports & go to the gym regularly but my diet isn’t very healthy but I don’t know with my age if I should cut back on the foods you have suggested. What should I do?
Bottom line: While there might be a ‘metabolic advantage’ to a ketogenic diet over one containing a fair amount of carbohydrate, on average the difference is small. This does not explain why some people seem to lose weight relatively easily when carbs are restricted, which may be due to inter-individual variation. However the common observation of significant and sustained weight loss over months and years (Hallberg et al, 2018) is more likely a result of the benefits of nutritional ketosis on fuel flow, appetite, and cravings; as well as the reduced inflammation that is triggered by modest levels of beta-hydroxybutyrate. Clearly humans following a long-term ketogenic diet can eventually remain weight stable by adjusting fat intake to balance daily fat use for fuel. For those wishing to lose weight additional rather than remain weight stable, one’s goal should be to reduce dietary fat intake down to the margin of satiety (just enough, but not too much) and avoid or limit non-satiating energy sources such as alcohol.

Interesting. I’m on my first weight loss journey ever in my life, so everything is brand new to me. But I lost 30 pounds in the first 3 months when going low carb. I mean it just MELTED! However the goal is 40 pounds (10 pounds to go). This last month, weight loss has stalled. What’s interesting is that it’s stalled at precisely the weight I was previously at in my 20’s. So it’s like some sort of “metabolic memory.” I was convinced that it was a plateau — I’ve never heard of a “stable period” or anything. So I guess I’ll keep trucking and see if it picks up again. It’s very stubborn, considering I’ve doubled my workout time since the slowdown.

About: Evette’s blog is all about getting personal. She’s deeply expressive in her writing and truly moves readers with her words while she maintains accountability on her weight loss journey. Evette started the blog as a way to share her path of discovery and redefining moments while she works to raise her young daughter into a beautiful, kind woman. And she takes readers along with her as she continues to blog about her goals, attainments, fears and much, much more — all in a personal and engaging manner.
About: Lisa hails from the United Kingdom — a long way from the U.S., but with a touching story of strength that is impossible to ignore. Lisa suffers from Chronic Fatigue, a debilitating condition that’s slowed her down significantly in life, and one that she’s also managed to fight back from. Lisa started her blog about a year ago as a way to lose weight in the hope that it would help improve her disease — her fight is definitely an inspirational one to follow.
Very informative. I’m just now starting out on my weight loss journey, and have started a weight loss blog of my own. My entire family are overweight and it is a struggle dealing with them as I try to change my habits. Even harder because being around them in an environment where eating bad is easy to get away with makes me fall back. I am finding each time I go back home I end up binging.
To lose belly fat and uncover amazing abs, Schuler recommends a series of core stabilization exercises based on a training program devised by co-author and personal trainer Alwyn Cosgrove. "Core exercises like the plank help train muscles to stabilize the spine and pelvis so you can avoid back pain and improve posture, Schuler says. "Planks also burn more calories than crunches because they work more muscles." (P.S. crawling is a great dynamic abs exercise too.)
"When you're stressed out or tired, it's very easy to forget when your hand goes into the cookie jar," says Marisa Sherry, RD, a registered dietitian in private practice in New York City. "Are you being honest with yourself about taking just one handful here and there? When you have a cup, are you really having one cup? Most drinking glasses hold about three cups. By the end of the day, it all adds up."
Visceral fat—a type of fat that lies deep inside your abdomen and surrounds your internal organs—is linked to a whole slew of terrifying health problems like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic. Even scarier: According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), your risk of those health issues increases even more if your waist size is greater than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men.
For even more impressive effects on body composition: aim for exercise forms which elicit a positive hormonal response. This means lifting really heavy things (strength training), or interval training. Such exercise increases levels of the sex hormone testosterone (primarily in men) as well as growth hormone. Not only do greater levels of these hormones increase your muscle mass, but they also decrease your visceral fat (belly fat) in the long term.

‘Do it for a couple of minutes in bed and you’ll actually be able to wind down and fall asleep more easily. But it’s a skill, so it requires a commitment to practice it, as with anything. Think of it a bit like dating – the first time you do it it’s terrible, it’s uncomfortable, nobody knows what they’re doing, but the more dates you go on the better it gets.

Try not to think that you can't eat certain foods because you're "too overweight." According to the National Eating Disorder Association, dieting, drive for thinness, and body dissatisfaction can become internalized at a young age and lead to an eating disorder. Change your mindset to celebrate the healthy foods you're eating because they're helping your body stay healthy and energized.
Insulin (in-suh-lin): A hormone made by the cells in your pancreas. Insulin helps your body store the glucose (sugar) from your meals. If you have diabetes and your pancreas is unable to make enough of this hormone, you may be prescribed medicines to help your liver make more or make your muscles more sensitive to the available insulin. If these medicines are not enough, you may be prescribed insulin shots.
Basic Principles Simply put, we lose weight if we consume less energy than we use. Energy comes from the food and drink that we eat and is measured in calories (Cals, cals or kcals). Energy is burnt constantly by our bodies, the amount of energy burnt doing a particular activity varies by its intensity. Assuming that your weight is currently stable, your energy-in and energy-out are equal. To lose weight, this equation needs to be unbalanced, so energy-out is greater than energy-in. Naturally, we can achieve this in two ways. We can burn more energy, by doing exercise, or we can consume less energy, by eating fewer calories (note, this need not mean less food by weight or volume). For most people losing weight is roughly a 80:20 diet:exercise split, simply because it's a lot easier to deny yourself a ~300kcal slice of cake than walking 2-3 miles to burn it off. You can lose weight without any exercise whatsoever if you wish, but exercise in itself is very good for you either way. Be Realistic Besides the very basics, you have to be realistic and accept that, if you want to lose weight, you’re going to have to change a few things. Possibly the most important realization is that you need to make a lifestyle change. The majority of people need to change their diet, as opposed to go on a diet; reverting to old habits will see you reverting to old body-weights, too.
the perfect post for me to read today as I try to get back on track starting this week. I have a goal in mind but I’m not good with strict,regimented routines. I do better with smart/sensible/common sense choices – ie dont eat processed foods, portion control, stay away from fried/sugary foods etc. So glad I read this post, perfect motivation for a monday morning!

Jennifer, you have given absolutely wonderful advice here. You get it! The only thing I would tell you is that while milk chocolate is not good for you, dark chocolate is (65% cacao or higher). The principles you outline are basically what I’ve been following, so I know what you say is accurate. The other thing I’ve learned is that one can have alcoholic beverages in moderation and still lose weight. I am certain that if you stick with the principles you’ve outlined, you will keep your weight off. Congratulations on a job well done!

Rather than a long and low-intensity cardio workout, try the HIIT method of cardio: intense, fast-paced intervals that leave you completely exhausted after only a 20- to 30-minute session. This form of cardio training increases the afterburn effect, allowing your body to continue burning calories long after your workout is over. You can rotate between 30 seconds of your favorite exercises, with rest in between, as long as they work different muscle groups—such as squats, push-ups and kettlebell swings.
I came across your article at just the right time! I’ve been keto-ing for about a month now and only down four lbs. Was ready to give up and go back to my beloved cake, bread, and pasta. I have no doubt my body needs a lot of healing, and I hope that’s what I’m doing for it now. I’ll keep on going with my keto lifestyle because of your post. Thanks for this insight.
This could be because the body increases insulin secretion in anticipation that sugar will appear in the blood. When this doesn’t happen, blood sugar drops and hunger increases. Whether this chain of events regularly takes place is somewhat unclear. Something odd happened when I tested Pepsi Max though, and there are well-designed studies showing increased insulin when using artificial sweeteners.
“My dad is like a food-pushing wizard, he’s always pulling stuff out of his pockets or showing up with delicious food,” says Mary Mock. While the family tradition of surprise sweets was fun, when it came time to lose weight, she knew she had to put a stop to all that temptation. “At first, he seemed hurt when I kept saying no but when I explained it was for my health, he got on board. Sometimes I still have to remind him though!” she says.
As with the 17 day diet the first 2 phases of the Dukan Diet do not fully comply with the suggested standards because they restrict certain food items from your daily diet and promote low calorie meals which are sometimes below the average. The 3rd and 4th stage though is according to standards and best practices. The list of healthy foods suggested by the Dukan Diet has the same characteristics as the foods suggested in the dietary guidelines.
Lets be honest, there were mornings that I just didn’t have it in me to make this. For those mornings I would fall back to just 2-3 hardboiled eggs, or a single hardboiled egg and a protein shake made with water + whey protein isolate. Since I work from home, I can typically take the time to make a big breakfast, but probably 1/6 days I would have to fall back to the quick breakfast.

Think about it: If you have a big plate, it may be easy to pile on the food until the plate is full, leaving you with portions that are way too large. "Since I regularly ate balanced meals, I knew it was my portions that had to be fixed," says Erika Cataldi. "I began using toddler plates; I could load them up and still feel like I was getting a lot." That optical illusion help Cataldi drop 70 pounds.

Work your core. When many people think of core strengthening, they think of stomach crunches. Crunches are helpful for building abdominal muscles, but contrary to popular belief, crunches won't do much to lose the layer of fat stored in your belly, and can actually cause significant damage to the spine.[34] Instead, try a workout routine that strengthens your whole core, like yoga, or try abdominal presses and planking.[35]
About: Blogs full of heart-felt writing and deep emotions are great, but it never hurts to toss in one with a laugh-out-loud humor to it as well. Enter Running off the Reese's blogger Cely. If her blog mantra “Because no one should have to choose between their pants and chocolate” doesn’t pull you in, her creative use of gifs and humorous style of writing will. Cely was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 18 — a diagnosis she certainly didn’t let hold her back. She runs races (usually half-marathons or less), shares her experiences, has a long list of book reviews...and talks a bit about life in general in between. And it’s awesome.

How much fiber should I eat per day? Most Americans eat less fiber than the USDA daily recommendations suggest. This article looks at the guidelines for fiber intake in men, women, and children. We also talk about how fiber can help with weight loss, and discuss how much fiber is too much. Learn about good sources of dietary fiber and a handy meal plan. Read now

Since insulin sensitivity is at its lowest in the final two weeks of the cycle, and carb intake is also at its lowest, exercise should be more anaerobic (this means hard and fast, really getting your heart pumping). It should be focused more on high-intensity interval training, with short bursts of high intensity work, either from brief sprint exercises or from weight lifting. This is an excellent way to sharpen insulin sensitivity while simultaneously burning fat, increasing muscle mass, and spending calories. It also helps the body stay healthy and as stress-free as possible during this time in which the body is gearing up to menstruate and the least capable of handling stress.

I don’t quite know how to put this, but my jaw was dropped throughout the entirety of this post. Your life story outside of having a husband is nearly identical to mine!! I was a cute kid, and then I was overweight throughout my childhood, I attempted dieting in the same way (mine was carrots though, not bell pepper strips), I played volleyball and then tennis, I lost weight in college, I hated running with a passion and then started running. I’m now 23, still quite overweight and attempting to lose it. I was kind of in a rut, upset because I have gained almost all the weight that I’ve lost back. But you have given me so much hope. Thank you so so much for posting your story. I’m still a little in shock at how similar our lives are. Thanks again.

“I lost 85 pounds between the ages of 39 1/2 and 41, and have kept it off for more than a decade. Part of how I did it was by saying ‘no’ to what I call No-Longer-Nourishing Commitments. I was working too many hours, which left me with little time or energy for working out or making healthy food. By saying no to some projects, I was able to devote more attention to preparing better food and moving my body. It also gave me more nourishing time with friends and family, which made junk food become less of a go-to comfort.” —Deb Thompson, 53, certified Integral Master Coach

About: Kristen is a 42-year-old woman who a few years back decided she was going to lose weight — and she was going to do so by running and blogging about it. She lost 50 pounds, and along the way discovered that far from hating running like she assumed she would, she actually loved it...and hiking, and yoga, and much, much more. Her blog posts are full of inspiration, simple tips and tricks for making healthier choices, healthy recipes, fitness and personal musings.
About: Three years ago, Christina suffered a miscarriage, became depressed, gained weight and developed a horrible body-image problem. But that wasn’t who Christina was deep down. So, she switched her diet to gluten-free and started up a website dedicated to sharing healthy, good-tasting recipes that others could use to help them lose weight and live healthy. A certified nutritionist and yoga instructor, Christina’s blog has everything you need for practical tips to lose weight and hundreds of scrumptious, healthy recipes to help you along in your journey.

About: Gina has the kind of success story that really touches a nerve. She started out at 298 pounds and went on to lose 168 of those pounds in 25 months. As someone who always struggled with her weight and achieved such a huge thing, she has an especially good grasp on how to help other people who have 100 or more pounds to lose achieve their goals. Her blog is a place she uses to motivate, inspire, energize and connect with others. And that’s exactly what it is.

Hi Adam, I am a 15 year old girl and trying to lose weight. I currently weigh 115 pounds and im trying to get to atleast 100. I tried to use your method and i waited two weeks but heres some bad news i got the same result. So i have a question is there an easier way to lose weight fast and without harming my health. I also would not like to half to go buy some drugs at the drug store. I’m not sure what to do considering i have searched the internet like a million times and found like nothing. So please help me!
Since insulin sensitivity is at its lowest in the final two weeks of the cycle, and carb intake is also at its lowest, exercise should be more anaerobic (this means hard and fast, really getting your heart pumping). It should be focused more on high-intensity interval training, with short bursts of high intensity work, either from brief sprint exercises or from weight lifting. This is an excellent way to sharpen insulin sensitivity while simultaneously burning fat, increasing muscle mass, and spending calories. It also helps the body stay healthy and as stress-free as possible during this time in which the body is gearing up to menstruate and the least capable of handling stress.
I had the pleasure of meeting (and rooming with!) Beth at FitBloggin'. In person, she is just as sweet, down-to-earth, and motivated as she seems on her blog, which she launched to document her weight-loss progress online. Beth also shares what she’s learned along the way, including healthy recipes she creates at home. In two years, Beth has dropped 90 pounds, reached her goal weight, and run two half-marathons, among other road races.
Thanks Jen! When you get down to the last 10 – 15lbs., it’s so much harder to get it off. Sometimes I think when you can’t lose weight and your doing all the right things,it maybe because it’s your bodies way of tell you it’s at it’s happy weight. I just keep plugging away and see what happens. As a long as your exercising and eating right that all that counts because your doing something good for your body!
About: Let’s start with Katie by rewinding three years to January 2013 when she hopped on the scale and realized she weighed 247 pounds. That was the moment that “something just clicked” for Katie. Fast forward back to the present, Katie lost 100 pounds, dropped six pants sizes and along the way found a fierce determination to pursue (and stick with) her fitness goals. Katie found her purpose, and she uses her blog to fulfill that purpose: helping others who struggle with obesity, weight loss and food addiction.
Thanks so much for this. I was getting very despondent! I’ve been Ketogenic for 2 weeks and actually PUT ON 2 lbs! I have Hashimotos (autoimmune hypothyroidism) and adrenal exhaustion and haven’t been well for about 15 years. On top of that, I’m presently recovering from a nasty car crash 3 months ago (broken wrist and lots of deep inflammation in tissues of legs and feet).
I still remember the day that I visited my OBGYN in December 2006 and asked if it was “safe” to continue my medication while I tried to get pregnant. Without hesitation, she said “absolutely!”. Yet for some reason, I will call it God, I literally just woke up one day. In January 2007, I looked in the mirror and was like “holy crap”. Who is this person and what have I been thinking?!? That day I decided to quit cold turkey. Unfortunately the medication was so strong that I had intense withdrawal for several days. Everything on Earth told me to keep taking it but something inside of me told me to stop. And then March of that same year, I got pregnant! Having only lost maybe 10lbs that I had gained, I started gaining AGAIN with my pregnancy. Addison was born December 2007 and after several months of no sleep, no energy and zero motivation I decided that today was the day. I was literally OVER IT. I honestly cannot even remember how I heard of this book, but I bought it and I read it cover to cover (this is the newest version)…

I know you’ve heard this all before, I’m sure, but seriously my friend THANK YOU for this post it was amazing and made me feel Like 1. I’m not alone in this world of stress and eating and anxiety and 2. It’s a journey and I can do it !! Thank you! Ps I would love to know some of your tips and tricks in how you manage stress and anxiety, maybe another post

Hi, I am in a female my early 20’s and put on 14 pounds from june last year. I am on a diet similar to this its called the Candida diet, (no bread, no pasta, no potatoes, no milk product, no sugar) I have been on it almost a week I don’t see much of a difference in my weight. My calorie intake is different every day sometimes as low as 700 calories a day (hard to find high calorie foods that are acceptable on the diet, beans are not allowed) I have been eating avocados and nuts to compensate. I do minimal exercise usually a 40 minute walk a day. When you said your metabolism will slow when given less calories, it that the reason I’m not loosing weight?

Hi I’m 22 an just moved to Canada from USA an have lots of immigration and legal things I’m paying for I married a Canadian woman that’s why I moved to Canada but I need help and we are on a right budget livin on one income us paying for Immigrations but within 6 months I can barely fit my jeans anymore and I got stretch marks which I never had in my life in cant afford a gym membership and I can’t work legally yet and still won’t be for a while I’m 6ft 3 Caucasion and pushin 250 lbs I feel drained and restless all the time and we live In a apartment so it’s hard to do anything with out neighbours complaining about noise even normal walking I was only 210 lbs when I moved here 6 months ago do you have any help ful advice

This is a very simple method that you can use even when you're in the midst of doing something else. Whenever you notice you’re feeling tense and uptight check and see how you’re breathing. Most people under stress either alternate holding their breath with short breaths, or take rapid shallow breaths. After you become aware of your own breathing, consciously relax your belly and slow down the breathing. This works best if you focus on slowing down the exhalation rather than your inhalation. With each exhalation you can say to yourself "slow down". That is all there is to it- Simple but surprisingly effective!!!

I am two weeks down. First week i didn’t complete six days and relapsed on my 4th day as long weekend came at my place. But this last week i manged to complete with saturday as my cheat day. I must confess that one is unable to eat much on cheat day as your body is tuned to specific timely meals. But i didnt loose as much as i would have liked. I just dropped 1.3 Kg. Maybe because i couldnt do any sort of exercise. Now my second week has started and i plan to stick to the diet. Lets see…

About: Besides Nadia’s beautiful smile, it’s her philosophy on life that really drew us to her blog. Yes, Nadia is passionate about all things fitness and healthy eating, but she’s even more passionate about spreading the message that perfection is impossible and the key is to love yourself for who you are. That’s the kind of heart Nadia puts into each and every one of her posts as she strives to help people find their own version of happiness.
Alice Williams created Honestly Fitness with the intention of giving an honest opinion, backed up by factual evidence, about anything and everything concerning fitness, health, and everything in between. Her passion for sharing the reality of the health and fitness world makes her one of our most inspirational blogs. She discusses important and controversial topics, healthy recipes, and provides honest reviews and feedback of all the latest trends in fitness.